Extraction and Purification of Fullerenes: A Comprehensive Review

This review summarizes the advances of the last four years in the field of fullerenes purification. Purification involves extraction from soots, which may be considered as a prepurification step, and separation by liquid chromatography, where the different stationary phases tested are listed. We also describe other purification techniques, like elution on molecular sieves or activated charcoal, gel permeation, and supercritical fluids purification. Our purpose is to show the reader the general trends for obtaining pure C60 and C70. We conclude that no technique is better than another, but that each purification method may offer its own qualities, depending on the application.